Quentin Merlin is reportedly a target for Napoli, RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain after a summer spent being linked with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.
The France U21 international wasted little time in bringing an end to any hope Celtic had harboured of luring him to Parkhead before the September deadline – insisting that his plan was always to spend the 2023/24 campaign at FC Nantes across the Channel – but emerging interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe’s biggest leagues is likely to test the limits of his loyalty (Scottish Sun).
According to FootMercato, RB Leipzig – a stable stepping stone for so many talented up-and-comers – have already opened talks with Nantes regarding a potential January switch.
Serie A champions Napoli have thrown their hat into the ring too. As have Paris Saint-Germain, making their interest known with Quentin Merlin’s camp.
Celtic reportedly wanted Quentin Merlin
The appropriately-named Merlin, a wing wizard with a wand of a left foot, has been one of France’s most improved players so far this term. A regular under Thierry Henry for Les Bleus Under 21 side, Merlin was valued at £9 million over the summer but his price-tag is likely to rise considerably with deep-pocketed PSG now in contention for his signature.
Even if Merlin had been open to joining Celtic a couple of months ago, Nantes’ £9 million asking price would likely have been a death knell to any discussions.
At least, in Greg Taylor, Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has an ever-improving left-back of his own. The former Kilmarnock man has been one of Celtic’s standout performers in recent weeks, his eye-catching display against Atletico Madrid in midweek – that penalty concession aside – testament the vast improvements Taylor has made to his game in the final third.
“I think we’re playing very similar styles with and without the football,” Taylor tells The Celtic Way, praising Rodgers for building on the foundations laid down by predecessor Ange Postecoglou.
“It’s a high press in terms of we’re trying to get the ball back quickly. And, when we have the ball, we’re trying to hurt teams. I don’t think the styles are drastically different. There’ll be small pointers that we’ll work on in training, but on the whole, there are not many big changes.”
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